When a record starts and within 30 seconds a parent walks in the room and states “that sounds like your dad being sick”, you know you’re onto a winner. Of course Between Us sound absolutely nothing like anyone’s spew, instead this Swedish mob play a melodic form of hardcore that sounds a bit like Give Up The Ghost. I’m not really a massive fan of hardcore music and whenever any comes in for review I try and palm it off to someone else, but this really is top drawer stuff.
They’ve been around for quite a few years now and have put out 7″s on various hardcore label, but were snapped up to release this EP on Burning Heart. But while this is firmly hardcore in sound, the melodic edges and pasionate lyrics and delivery give this the edge. The driving guitar riffs batter and torment, but there’s a sense that although they have kept to the hardcore rulebook, Between Us add a few extra elements to keep things from going stale. The result is a short and sharp EP that will appeal to more than just hardcore fans.
Title-track ‘Regrets and Apologies’ is fast and furious, yet breaks down in places to disrupt the rythmn so not to be stale, while ‘Nothing Left’ is just plain vicious. ‘Looking Back’, meanwhile, is just brutal, as the drums kick and the guitars really hammer home. The vocals spit fury too, creating an intensity and passion that you cannot help but admire. Closer ‘Drowsiness After Insomnia’ lulls the listener into a false sense of security by taking more than half a minute to build up, but when it reaches it’s climax things kick off with a perfect riff.
I’m no hardcore fan, but Between Us are something special. Not released until early 2004, this could be an early contender for EP of the year.
www.betweenus.nu
Paul